Dhruv Ohri's Basketball blog

A Corrupt BargainPosted by: Dhruv
Ohri | March 20, 2011

Once
a team feels that they have no chance of making the playoffs, a
difficult decision comes their way. In the NBA the team that finishes
with the worst record has the highest chance of claiming the number one
lottery pick in the draft and acquiring young talent that can possibly
turn the franchise around. This system is corrupt because it gives
teams incentive to lose games on purpose if their season is virtually
over. Any sensible franchise would and probably should throw a bunch of
the last couple games of the season in order to increase their chances
in scoring big in the draft. This system essentially divides the NBA
during the final weeks of the season into two parts, teams that are
desperately trying to make the playoffs or increase their playoff rank,
and teams that don’t give a damn.

A possible correction to this flawed system could be
to organize the teams that have no chance of making the playoffs into a
draw and have them compete for the top spot. The team that earns the
top spot in this mock playoff event earns an extra ten percent chance
of landing the top pick, the finalist earns an extra five percent
chance, and the semi finalists earn an extra 2.5 % chance. These
percentages could be subtracted from the bottom finishers in a system
in which 25% of each of the bottom eight teams chances of acquiring the
top pick are subtracted. This is a sure fire way of making the last few
weeks of the regular season competitive and gives the teams competing
for the playoffs a less corrupt way of acquiring the seed as they will
play other teams competing for the same spot and not teams that are
looking to throw games.

Denver’s DominancePosted by: Dhruv
Ohri | March 19, 2011

Since
the Melo trade took place, not much was expected of the Denver Nuggets.
People thought that Denver would surely fall out of the playoff race
and lose their established dominance in the West. Dever has shocked all
of those critics and even gotten better since the loss of Carmelo
Anthony and Chauncey Billups. Since the trade the newfound Nuggets have
compiled an impressive record of 9-3 while the Knicks with the supposed
“elite player” Melo have just gone 7-7. People have had low
expectations for Denver since the trade and Denver has not only proved
them wrong, but also set themselves up for a possible first round upset
against Dallas assuming that the Nuggets maintain their six seed in the
West.

Felton, Chandler, and Gallanari for Anthony and
Billups was the fateful trade that shocked the entire NBA. This was
seen as a high price for Anthony and Billups as the Knicks were
seemingly trading away one of their elite players and almost all
of their young talent. Still Felton, Chandler, and Gallanari were
not expected to mesh well with Denver and the Knicks were supposed to
receive the better end of the deal. This was seemingly perceived to be
true as the Knicks got off to a quick start with an unexpected win over
Miami. In that time period though, no one was paying attention to
Denver as Denver won game after game with their new roster. Denver is
still not being recognized as the elite squad they are because they
have no leader. Rather, the Nuggets have a roster well-balanced with
players that possess equal talent and therefore the team is a nightmare
to defend. Double teams are detrimental when every player is capable of
lighting the scoreboard up. This is why Denver is in a much better
position now. Now Denver has a future and every player is no longer
overshadowed by Anthony.

Keep It Up DeronPosted by: Dhruv
Ohri | March 18, 2011

D-will
has been playing phenomenally as of late as a New Jersey Net. Although
his scoring numbers have decreased significantly, Deron is racking up
over 13 assists per games as a Net and benefitting the team greatly.
The Nets have enjoyed success for the first time all season since
acquiring Williams and are on a substantial 5 game winning streak
assuming that they fare well against Chicago tonight. D-Will is a
definite benefactor to the Nets and one of the elite players in the
NBA. If Deron’s high level of play continues, the future looks bright
for this once hopeless New Jersey Nets team.

Aside from Williams impressive stat line of 21
points and 10 assists a game, Deron also has a great effect on his
teammates. Since William’s trade, players like Anthony Morrow, Kris
Humphries, and Brook Lopez have been feeding off Deron’s positive
energy and tremendous play making abilitiy. Brook is playing some of
his best basketball this season due to Deron’s ability to set him up.
Humphries has chemistry with Deron due to the two playing for the same
Utah Jazz team in the past. Because of this Williams understands
Humphries game and knows when and where to set him up. Morrow is a
sharp shooter and is more than able to hit open shots and Williams is
able to give Morrow plenty. The Nets as a team are playing much better
since the trade and now might even be a dark horse to clinch the 8th
seed in the east.

Williams is a great player and elite point guard. His style of play
meshes will with New Jersey’s offense that is composed of sharp
shooters and big men. Look for Deron to make a huge run next season
with New Jersey that results in a playoff appearance.

The southwest is one of the most interesting divisions in 2011 March
Madness.

Kansas is the obvious frontrunner with a well balanced offense as well
as defense and an authoratative presence down low in Thomas Robinson.

Notre Dame, the second seed, is also fit to do some damage in the
tournament with a dangerous offense jam-packed with perimeter shooters.

Purdue, the third seed has a well-balanced defense as well as an
explosive offense and are able to take control of games in the later
portions.

Louisville, the fourth seed is more reserved in
style and win games by outlasting opponents which might not fare too
well for them in this section of the draw.

Southeast
Region

Pittsburgh is the clear favorite of this reason and are playing a level
of basketball that is superior to most other teams in this region with
the exception of the second seed, Florida.

Florida, the second seed, has been very erratic this year with many key
loses, but a reputation for playing tough basketball and willing
through games make them a favorite to go reasonably far.

BYU, the third seed, has been decently weak this year, despite their
admirable record due to the loss of Brandon Davies.

Wisconsin, the fourth seed, has a great style of play and are my pick
to shake up this section of the draw.

Race to The 8th
Seed in The EastPosted by: Dhruv
Ohri | March 13, 2011

The
8th seed in the East this season is hotly contested by three main team
looking to battle it out until the very end. Charlotte, Indiana and
Milwaukee are all looking to secure the 8th spot to qualify for the
playoffs. Although Indiana currently holds the much sought after
position, their recent struggles including a 6 game losing streak may
lead to their downfall. Milwaukee and Charlotte however are both on
winning streaks, Milwaukee’s 3 game winning streak being more
respectable that Charlotte’s 1 game winning streak. My opinion is that
Milwaukee will take the 8th spot. The Bucks have been playing
extraordinary basketball as of late and hold a decent record of 5-5 in
their last 10 games. Milwaukee is only .5 games out of the eighth spot
and should be able to play well enough to secure the playoff position.

Then you have to consider the dark horses who are not expected to
clinch the spot but still lurking 5 games out. By dark horses I mean
New Jersey and Detroit. Detroit’s recent struggles and three game
losing streak have put them a considerable distance of 5 games out of a
playoff spot. New Jersey’s recent success and 4 game winning streak
have put them also 5.5 games out of the 8th spot. It is still feasible
for these two teams to make a playoff push due to the 18-20 remaining
games in the season.

The playoff race in the East is contested mainly by
three teams but can be taken by either of our dark horses if New Jersey
or Detroit catches fire. It will be interesting to see how this all
fares out.

Ahead To The FuturePosted by: Dhruv
Ohri | March 13, 2011

The
future of basketball is uncertain as of this point because the current
audience is not focused on tomorrow but now. The teams that have the
potential to win titles in the future are disregarded and labeled as
failures and busts by todays NBA fans. For example, if you take a look
at the Nets, Timberwolves, and Clippers, you see teams that are not
doing as well now but have the potential to become elite in coming
years.

The Nets are loaded with talent that most fans disregard. Center, Brook
Lopez, is one of the most underrated players in the NBA. He is one of
the most versatile centers in the league. Lopez can pull up from 15-20
feet out and drain jump shot after jump shot if the defense leaves him
wide open. Brook is also athletic and can rebound and block reasonably
well when given the opportunity. What I mean by that is when defensive
specialist Kris Humphries is not working his magic down low. Humphries
is a rebounding machine and a defensive threat. When playing well,
Lopez and Humphries can form a lesser version of the Tim Duncan, David
Robinson twin towers. They are led by NBA elite point guard, Deron
Williams, who can explode for 15-20 assists any given night and
sharpshooters in Morrow and Vujacic who are offensive threats. The Nets
are a team that can definitely make some noise in the future.

Minnesota is another team that fan should look out
for. Minnesota has crazy talent in Kevin Lowe who also has range
extending to the 3 point line. The T’Wolves also have a scorer in
Michael Beasley and a defensive stopper to an extent at least in Darko
Milicic. Minnesota also has young talent in Wesley Johnson and a
decent pointguard in Luke Ridnour. With an couple high draft picks
coming up in the future, the T’Wolves are definately a team that can do
some damage.

The Clippers are loaded with young offensive talent. They have a
superstar in rookie Blake Griffin whose athleticism and size completely
negate his lack of versatility and Eric Gordon who is one of the most
prolific scorers in the NBA. The Clippers also have great young talent
in Bledsoe, Aminu, and Jordan along with a defensive stopper in Chris
Kaman. Look for this team to make a huge run next season and even
possibly make the playoffs.

The Clippers, Nets, and T’Wolves are three team that aren’t so good
right now but have the potential to be great. Don’t disregard these
teams until you see them play to their full potentials.

Inside the NBA mindPosted by: Dhruv
Ohri | February 13, 2011

Have
you ever wondered why certain NBA players try so hard to win and excel
as players. It almost certainly is not the money because NBA players
make enormous sums of money, at least they will until the league
“Contracts”. The drive that NBA players have is the result of a few
prominent factors. One factor that is perhaps the most significant is
recognition, once a player has made a good amount of money and
possesses a certain degree of skill they strive for recognition. They
want people all around the world to know their name and attempt to do
that by putting up commendable numbers and winning a couple of
championships in the process. This brings me to the second factor which
is “winners mentality” . If a player has made it so far as the
NBA, they have “had things their way” on the court for a majority if
not all of their lives. An NBA player was probably the star of their
high school and college teams and have grown accustomed to winning and
excelling on the court. When this trend of success is broken, an NBA
player will try their hardest to get it back and win again, hence the
term “winner’s mentality”. The third factor is remembrance. Players
want to achieve a certain degree before their careers end so that they
can be remembered long after they retire.

Worst Team in
History?Posted by: Dhruv
Ohri | February 6, 2011

The
Cleveland Cavaliers may be the worst team in NBA history this season.
Not only are they on a horrendous 24 game losing steak, they have also
dropped 34 of their lat 35 games with the exception of an overtime win
against the New York Knicks. Questions are looming on whether the Cavs
will lose 70 games this season. By the way things are going, it doesn’t
look like Cleveland will win another game this season. Things are not
looking too good with injuries to star player Mo Williams and Anderson
Varejao. Their best player currently is 34 year old Antawn Jamison who
is currently unhappy with playing in Cleveland. At least the Cavs can
look to the future to divert their minds from the present with young
talent in J.J. Hickson, Manny Harris, and Christian Eyenga.

With a record of 8-43, their aren’t many good things
to say about this team. Sure Jamison’s one heck of a player and when
healthy Mo Williams can play relatively well but as of right now, the
best player on the team is an unhappy 34 year old veteran who is
surrounded by inexperienced young players. You can’t expect to win
games when the best player on your team wants out. J.J Hickson is
decent young talent, but cannot be depended on to become a franchise
player. Hickson is a solid player with a decent game but he lacks the
tenacity and winning mentality to lead or even start on a good team. He
would make a great sixth man or perhaps a solid 4th option offensively
but should not under any circumstances be regarded as the second best
player on a team. The other young talent isn’t bad either, maybe one
day they’ll all be good enough to be able to create an average starting
lineup. Williams is good when healthy but now doesn’t have a “Lebron”
figure to attract attention offensively. Williams will still get his
points but it will be off poor shooting and the occasional layup.
Williams and Jamison’s two man offense proved unsuccessful as the three
games prior to Williams injury, the Cavs were losing by an an average
of 28 points a night. Four out of the five players on Cleveland’s
starting lineup would not start for most other teams in the NBA and
that in itself is a recipe for disaster.

Cleveland has it’s future to look forward too which
is better than nothing. They already have young talent and will
definitely pick up more in the next couple drafts. Whether this will
result in wins is another story entirely but young talent is better
than nothing. They could also probably trade Williams and Jamison for
some draft picks and some more young talent if they are looking to go
that way.

The Cavs this season are probably the worst team in NBA history talent
wise. Watching them play is like watching a train attempt to run off a
cars engine as they have no player that can be identified as a star and
pull out wins. Although it is unlikely that this will happen, I don’t
think they will win another game this season. I don’t see a single team
in the NBA that the Cavs even have the slightest advantage against. Any
wins that the Cavs will be able to pull out will rely purely on luck
which hasn’t been too kind for Cleveland in the past year.

An Incredible PacePosted by: Dhruv
Ohri | February 5, 2011

If
you are not familiar with the man who I am speaking of, you probably
are not an NBA fan. Blake Griffin has developed as a player at an
incredible pace and established himself amongst the NBA’s elite all in
his rookie season. Griffin has shown that he was born to play
basketball professionally and that all the hype and expectations that
came along with him was legitimate. This tale is not perfect though,
after being drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers and being named Summer
League MVP Blake suffered a painful injury while landing on his kneecap
after a dunk. Griffin was able to overcome this but at a huge cost. He
was forced to sit out his entire rookie season due to his injury and
rumors circulated as they were expected to. People said that he would
be injury prone for the rest of his career, that the injury would have
a significant impact on his game and make him a below average player
and a disappointing first round draft pick. These rumors and injury
served no purpose but to motivate Griffin to use the year off to
properly recover and polish his already outstanding game.

When Griffin was in college, every basketball fan,
player, and coach acknowledged his talent and knew that one day he
would be a great NBA player. It was also obvious that injuries would be
an issue in this remarkable young players career due to his size and
physical game. Griffin’s tendency to acquire injuries first made its
debut in his freshmen year when he sprained the MCL in his left knee
playing for the University of Oklahoma. Two months after he recovered,
Griffin tore his cartilage and required a minor surgery that put him on
the sidelines for one week. Griffin’s talent came a high cost as his
health was jeopardized with painful injuries. Regardless, he still had
an outstanding college career and put himself in a position in which
every NBA team would willingly add him to their roster. He was the
first pick of the 2009 NBA draft and landed himself a slot playing for
the Los Angeles Clippers. The drama didn’t end there though. In the
last game of the preseason, Griffin landed awkwardly after a dunk and
had a stress fracture in his left knee. This would postpone his NBA
debut for a projected 7 weeks. After those 7 weeks were over though, it
was apparent that Griffin was not recovering properly and would have to
have knee surgery that would land him on the bench for his entire
rookie season. Questions loomed whether he would be injury prone for
the rest of his career and not play to his full potential when healthy
like Greg Oden another player who was in a similar situation. Griffin
entered his second NBA season full of uncertainty whether he would live
up to the expectations placed upon him a year ago.

Not only did Blake live up to the enormous
expectations placed upon him, he exceeded them. Griffin is already one
of the best power forwards in the NBA and still possesses the ability
to score at will as he averages 23 ppg. His size combined with his
physical game allows to rebound exceptionally well as he averages a
whopping 12.7 a game. Not only is Griffin a great player, he is also an
efficient one with an amazing 23.3 PER that is among the league’s best.
Blake Griffin is also a phenomenal scorer with an above average
offensive rating of 113. Words cannot describe the level that Griffin
is playing at so early in his career.

Griffin is already an all star and many more appearances are expected
of him. Unless John Wall plays some of the best basketball in history
for the remainder of the season, Griffin will win rookie of the year.
Although injury prone, the reward of having Griffin outweigh the few
cons. Expect great things from this young player.